pickpocket

Last year the Koninklijke Marechaussee refused 2,800 people entry to the Netherlands at Schiphol airport, an increase of 20 percent compared to 2018. People were turned away because they did not have the right travel documents, or had fake documents, or unbelievable reasons for visiting the Netherlands, for example. The Marechaussee attributes the increase to more effective detection, NOS and De Telegraaf report.

The number of registered crimes in which an asylum seeker is a suspect increased by over a quarter last year, from nearly 4 thousand in 2018 to nearly 5 thousand cases in 2019, the Telegraaf reports based on an incident overview by the Ministry of Justice and Security that the newspaper has in its possession. The number of asylum seekers increased by three percent to nearly 55 thousand last year.

Police in Amsterdam said they found 30 mobile phones stuffed inside a pair of cycling shorts being worn by a pickpocketing suspect at the time they detained him. Authorities took the 34-year-old man from Romania into custody when they made the discovery on January 21.

It happened during a performance in Amsterdam-Zuidoost, after several "reports of pickpocketing came in during the concert," police said. "Some victims could also provide a description."

All exits to the venue were sealed off, and a suspect fitting the description was spotted by police.

In total, over 800 thousand crimes were reported to the police in the Netherlands last year, an increase of 4 percent compared to 2018, according to annual figures the police released. This is the first time in nearly a decade that crime figures showed an increase. In 2010 over a million crimes were reported. That slowly decreased to 770 thousand in 2018. But the downward trend came to an end in the second half of 2018.

A group of pickpockets or muggers set off multiple cans of pepper spray at the Martin Garrix performance in the Amsterdam Dance Event during the early hours of Saturday morning. They used the burning eyes and trouble breathing as a distraction to rob party goers of their possessions, the Amsterdam police said in a statement. The police call on victims to come forward.

Beach goers are a prime target for pickpockets and other types of thieves. The number of lighter property crimes shows a clear peak along the coast during the summer months. In the 2016 to 2018 period, over a quarter of registered pickpocketing crimes were registered in July and August, Statistics Netherlands reported on Monday.

A total of 14 people were arrested during Canal Pride activities in Amsterdam on Friday night and Saturday, for crimes ranging from pickpocketing to sailing under the influence. "The police look back on a pleasant Canal Pride", the police said in a statement.

Eleven people were arrested at Pride festivities on Saturday, including seven for sailing under the influence. Three people were arrested at Pride parties on Friday, for pickpocketing, insult, and assault.

The police arrested a gang that stole 122 mobile phones from attendees of the Defqon.1 in Biddinghuizen in early June. Many of the phones have since been returned to their rightful owners, but 75 still remain unclaimed. The police are looking for people who lost their phone at the dance festival so that it can be returned to them.

Seven members of the phone stealing gang were arrested in the past weeks, according to De Stentor. With these arrests, 122 stolen phones were recovered.

Continuing the trend of past years, the number of registered crimes in the Netherlands dropped in 2018. The police registered a total of 766,638 crimes, a decrease of 6.1 percent compared to 2017. However, the police note that the decrease is slowing down. "The decline seems to have come to an end in the last six months", the police said.

Pepper spray was released at four Amsterdam Dance Event parties over the weekend. Multiple attendees had to be treated for burning eyes and breathing problems, though no one had to go to hospital. Despite these incidents, the city of Amsterdam speaks of a "calm" 23rd edition of the dance festival.

The police arrested a total of 38 people during Amsterdam Pride this past weekend, including 17 pickpockets. Six people were arrested for assault, eight for other types of theft, four for sailing under the influence of alcohol, and one for being unable to identify himself. Four of the detainees are suspected in "LGBTQ-related cases", the police said in a statement.

Four police officers sustained minor injuries while arresting a group of four suspects of theft. The suspects were in possession of multiple phones and bank cards.

The Pride festival is currently happening in Amsterdam. "Pickpockets are extra active during this period", the police warn, calling on party goers to be extra alert and take measures against this type of theft.

According to the police, pickpockets use different methods during the day and night. By day, they make use of the crowds, which mean that targets don't always notice when someone bumps into them and the pickpocket can then just disappear into the crowd.

Last week the police arrested over 100 people in a nationwide campaign against so-called 'mobile banditry' - gangs of criminals that travel from place to place to commit crimes. The detainees include shoplifters, baby formula thieves, pickpockets, drug traffickers, identity thieves and even a fake cop, the police said in a statement on Monday night.

The nationwide action was held between Tuesday and Friday last week. Multiple people were arrested at Amsterdam Central Station for pickpocketing, or attempts thereto.

King's Day celebrations don't only attract thousands of party goers to Amsterdam, but also pickpockets, the Amsterdam police warns. Stay aware of your surroundings and where your personal belongings are.

"Pickpockets often make use of crowds and festivities in the city to work as unobtrusively as possible", the police said. "Yet they also sometimes opt for a different method: distraction."

In a video released on Wednesday, the police show footage of a pickpocket distracting a victim by showing him a football trick, and stealing his possessions while he was at it.

An investigation into money laundering and stolen goods possession against a 44-year-old Bulgarian man and his 43-year-old wife, both living in The Hague, led the police to solving of over 260 smartphone thefts in the Netherlands. The phones were sold in a store in Bulgaria with the striking name "Occasion Den Haag", the police said in a statement on Friday.

Last year seven people from different Dutch cities reported their smartphones being stolen by pickpockets. The 'find my iPhone' app showed that all phones were at the same address in Schilderswijk, The Hague.

Crime in Amsterdam fell by 5 percent in 2017 compared to the year before. There were fewer cases of pickpockets, muggings, and violent threats, but the number of home burglaries and robberies increased. Nationwide crime is steadily declining, according to figures the National Police will publish on Thursday, the Volkskrant reports.

The Amsterdam mayor, police and Public Prosecutor are concerned about a seeming shift towards more invisible forms of crime in the Dutch the capital, they said in a report on Monday. With "invisible" crimes they refer to actions that are criminal in nature, but are socially embedded in neighborhoods and often out of the control and sight of the government, ANP reports.

A large proportion of this invisible crime has to do with conflicts in the drug world, according to the Amsterdam triangle. These crimes lead to arms trade, money laundering and assassinations.

Hundreds of Roma children are being used by family members as pickpockets, burglars or even sex slaves in the Netherlands, various experts and aid workers said to Nieuwsuur. The police responded that 400 detectives work on hundreds of human trafficking cases per year, including the exploitation of Roma children. Police officers will get extra training this year on recognizing the signs of human trafficking.

The police arrested a total of 148 suspects in a so-called 'civilian action' in Amsterdam's Red Light District over the weekend. Arrests were made for public drug use, possession of hard drugs, drug dealing, mugging and pickpocketing, AT5 reports.

A massive 72 of the arrests were drug related. 15 people were arrested for begging, and 18 for disrupting public order. Two muggers and two pickpockets were arrested. And another man was taken to the police station for carrying pepper spray.

A massive 100 thousand people turned out to watch the Canal Pride parade in Amsterdam on Saturday, the traditional highlight of the nine-day long Amsterdam Pride festival. The police arrested a total of 30 people, 13 for crimes the rest for less serious offenses like public drunkenness, the police said in a statement on Sunday.

Last year the number of reported crimes in the Netherlands dropped by 8 percent, continuing its declining trend over the past years, according to newspaper AD's annual Crime Meter. Amsterdam also saw a decrease in crime, but the Dutch capital is still the most dangerous city to live in crime-wise.

The Dutch police are calling on all King's Day celebrators to turn on the "Find My Phone" app on their smart phones, to make it easier for the police to track down pickpockets should a phone be stolen. Also make sure that you know the login details for the app, the police said in a statement.

As at previous large events, the Amsterdam police deployed a special team specifically for tracking down pickpockets. Should you fall victim to a pickpocket in Amsterdam and Amstelland today, the team is ready to help you track down and retrieve your phone.

Amsterdam is a top candidate to be the host city of EuroPride 2016 - the European wide gay pride festival. The Amsterdam Gay Pride canal parade took place on Saturday, with 80 boats participating. The municipality called the event the "most visited in years", and in certain places the police even had to tell people to go somewhere else to watch the parade because it was too busy.